Increase Your Creativity & Improve Your Health
We all need inspiration from time to time when it comes to being creative, no matter what it is that you do.From creating art to cooking, decorating, writing, and even getting dressed, have you found yourself in a slump when it comes to being creative in some area of your life.
For the creative types like artists and writers, this is especially true and when we find ourselves “stuck”, it can feel like we will never feel creative again. There are actually many ways you can increase your creativity (or find it all over again) and in turn, improve your mental health.
Studies have shown that tapping into our creativity makes us happier and gives us a great outlet for our emotions. Drawing, painting, sculpting, or working with ceramics have been proven to help people suffering from psychological or emotional trauma, as it is often easier to express emotions through art than through words.
Writing is also a creative endeavor that allows for the type of emotional outlet that can be especially important, as it involves narrating past events in a way that allows for negative situations to be turned into positive feelings.
Here are some proven ways to help you increase your creativity:
** Do Something You Love
Stuck for ideas? Not sure what to do? Your life needs some balance to ensure your creativity doesn't suffer.
In a letter to his son, Albert Einstein provided a great bit of fatherly insight when addressing his son's interest in playing the piano that is applicable to losing yourself in the creative process: do something that pleases you.
"That is the way to learn the most, that when you are doing something with such enjoyment that you don't notice that the time passes," Einstein wrote. "I am sometimes so wrapped up in my work that I forget about the noon meal."
Love and creativity are intertwined. A hobby, such as playing an instrument, running, or collecting memorabilia, can help you relax and fight stress while giving your creativity a boost.
** Pay attention to -- and record -- new ideas that come to you.
As people age, the number of creative ideas that come to them doesn’t necessarily slow, but they tend to capture fewer of them. When an idea -- or a small component of an idea -- comes to you, start making it a point to preserve it. Jot it down in a smartphone note, write it in a pocket-sized notebook you carry around or sketch it on a napkin.
** Move Your Body
The average person sits between 7 and 15 hours every day.
This terrible for your health and your mood, which means it can be terrible for your creativity.
Stanford research has indicated that walking improves creative thinking. In a follow-up study, HBR found that people who take part in walking meetings are more creative and engaged.
** Set the Right Mood
A lack of ideas or being unable to solve a problem can be extremely frustrating.
Unless you value complete silence, music can be the thing to give your mood, and your creativity, a boost.
Steve Jobs used music to change his moods and keep himself creative. It could work for you, too.
** Use the Six Thinking Hats Technique
Sometimes you just need to start over. Forget everything and begin anew with a blank slate - break it down using six different colored "thinking hats".
Using this process could help you look at things in a different way. It gives you the option to look at things in a "just the facts" manner (white hat); where things could go wrong (black hat); and possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas (green hat), for example.
By looking at a problem from several unique perspectives may be just what you need to find a solution.
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** Ask For Advice or Feedback
Sometimes you're too close to a problem to figure out a creative solution all by yourself.
Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness. Ask for help and advice from friends, peers, and people from your personal network that you trust and respect. Every person has a unique skill set, experience, and knowledge.
A fresh outside perspective, or three, or five, might be just what you need.
Even if you don't use their advice, it may spark some new, creative thinking that will get you where you need to go.
** Seek Inspiration From Others
Take some time to look at TikTok, Instagram Reels, Pinterest, and other creative spaces where others are constantly posting their ideas and work. You'll see what others are up to and get a surge of ideas to jot down and use for yourself. Museums are another great way to get some inspiration for your own work, too!
Who To Look At For Inspiration:
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-- 5 Methods for Increasing Creativity --
1. Brainstorming
Most people think that brainstorming is nothing more than pulling up a chair and thinking about incongruent solutions to problems. They think that at the end of this process, somehow a eureka moment materializes, and the answer to your query appears. However, the truth is that it is a little more complicated than that. For best results, you should approach brainstorming from a more organized, systematic, or scientific perspective. Keep in mind that brainstorming is the first step in the exploration phase of any new project, and as such, your top priority should be quantity over quality.
2. Brainwriting
While this method is meant for group brainstorming sessions, it can be adapted to one person with little effort. The main idea is that group members write down their ideas separately, take some time away from the rest of the group in order to think and improve on the idea, and come back later in order to share with the rest of the team what they have written.
In the ensuing meeting, each idea is discussed and evaluated individually and the best-proposed solutions are kept, while the least desirable are discarded. An individual who wishes to brain write would jot down ideas—perhaps on index cards—after taking a while to think about the project, discard the less desirable, and keep the most appealing.
3. Figuring Storming
In this approach, you ask yourself how someone else might handle the situation or solve the problem. Typical questions would be: How would a professional artist do this painting? How would my boss solve this problem? How would Martin Luther King, Jr. have dealt with this issue? The basic idea is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, and in the process, look for solutions outside your normal way of thinking.
4. Rapid Ideation
Placing a time limit on your brainstorming sometimes forces you to generate ideas quickly. The idea is to have various mediums such as index cards, chalkboards, whiteboards, or yellow stickers in order to write down ideas as soon as they enter your mind.
You might decide to write simple solutions on yellow stickers, but draw a large diagram or picture on a whiteboard. The main idea is to get your creative energy moving.
5. Reverse Brainstorming
In this method, we ask ourselves what would lead to the opposite effect of what we are looking to accomplish. For example, if improved customer service is desired, you can ask the group, “What should be done in order for customers to be completely dissatisfied by customer service?” If you are beginning a new art project, ask the following question: “How could this painting, sculpture, or ceramic project look amateurish?” After you have answered these questions to your satisfaction, simply reverse the answer.
As always, you can take some time to paint and get creative at Pinot's Palette! Painting is proven to relax and destress your mind!
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